Sunday, 27 February 2011

I have been looking over all the amazing blogs from London Fashion Week and came over a familiar face when looking at the What Elle Wears blog from the Elle Style Awards. Don't those Elle ladies look great? And they definitely follow the idea of "It's not what you wear, it's how you wear it" mixing high street and designer.

ELLEuk.com Fashion Assistant Alice Watt is a good friend of mine and was my flatmate at University. Maybe I'm bias but I think she looked fabulous! She has a really individual style. I adore her Mawi ring and must find out where I can get my hands on one. This isn't a brand I have ever heard of before but having a look on their website they have great pieces.

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

High up on my top wardrobe must have trends for Spring Summer 2011 is Neon. As seen at Jil Sander and Christopher Kane it is now making its way onto the High Street.

The Whistles neon pink Carrie Pleat Skirt went on sale online today following a long wait. It's already sold out in the midi length and is only available in a shorter length. Be quick though at only £95 (compared to £580 for the Jil Sander version) and with only 100 produced it's definitely going to be a sell out.

I'm a huge fan of Whistles and think their customer service is something lots of brands can aspire to. Their staff both in store and on their customer service line couldn't do enough to help me get hold of my skirt and for the first time I was able to look at their twitter (@thisiswhistles) for updates. Although, they could have done with being more regular. If you want the skirt one of the girls in the Selfridges Birmingham store told me there may be some due in either their Wednesday or Friday delivery.

Their Spring Summer 2011 collection is all stunning. My favourite piece apart from the 'Carrie' skirt is the blue Pintuck Blouse, £90 and to make it even better you can also get 20% off the new collection with this month's Glamour Magazine. You can see the full collection in the lookbook here and in the video bellow but be warned...something will end up on your Most Wanted list!

Wednesday, 2 February 2011

I know I might be a little behind the times here but I have only just had chance to watch Mary Portas : Secret Shopper on Channel 4. I am hooked!

Having never seen Mary Queen Of Shops I wasn't quite sure about her but the idea of the show is genius! The show is all about her trying to improve customer service for us, the shoppers. I watched the 1st episode about High Street chain Pilot and was jumping up and down screaming at the tv. For ages I have been totally infuriated by the lack of knowledge and service you get in some shops. Even when you take a photo from a magazine or blog in showing exactly what your looking for, the shop assistant just momentarily stop their conversation and gesture "if it's here, it's over there" and "if it's not out, we haven't got it" It's so annoying and frustrating. Mary doesn't blame the staff though but the management.

Then I remembered this Liz Jones Article from The Daily Mail I read a couple of weeks ago. It's a little bit shocking how little the shop assistants in this article seem to know about clothes and how uninspiring they are.

It shouldn't be so unexpected when shops actually deliver on service. I have had great experiences recently thanks to first class service in Whistles and Joy. It really does make me want to shop there more often when the staff are helpful, hardworking and friendly. Is it really so hard? Where on the High Street do you get the best service?

Thanks to Mary, next time I'm not looked after I am going to complain to the management and ask for better or not spend.

Over Christmas and New Year I was away in Thailand. It's not the first time I have been (I used to live there) but this time I went to Siam Paragon. I went to meet a friend and while I was waiting for him near the entrance to the MRT I just stood for a while in the crowd and watched people going about there day. They looked amazing. It was a million miles away from the conservative Thai fashion that I knew from teaching in a small town Thai secondary school.

Siam Paragon is one of the biggest shopping centers in Asia never mind Bangkok, full of designer brands it's no wonder the people looked great but they did it with their own flair. I really wish I had managed to get some photos of their 'street style' but just didn't have the confidence to stop people.

If you want to have a look at someone who does Bangkok style best though, check out Ploy. She is a fashion blogger, stylist, makes and sells her own designs mixing them with amazing vintage and designer finds like nobody else!

In Bangkok I also found an very lovely little vintage stall tucked away just at the end of Khao San Road. Vintage over there is great if you are small. I found my size 6 friend an amazing pair of Harems for just £4. My star £4 find for myself though was this 80's inspired polka dot dress. Perfect for the spring.

If you haven't been to Thailand yet I totally recommend it. Not just for the shopping but the laid back amazing vibe of the place. Now I really want to find some more great Thai Fashion Bloggers. Any tips?

About Me

Hi I'm Claire. I'm not a model, not a stylist and not a fashion authority. I'm a Radio Lady and I do love clothes, fashion and beauty. I'm kind of a hunter-gatherer of items, never letting the fact that I can't find something or it being 'sold out' stop me! This is the place I put my finds, inspiration and news. I possibly only have a little bit of style ( about this much *inch*) but at if you like what you find then that's what makes this worth while. This is where I get to share things with you. You can find me tweeting @ClaireBurgess
♥ email: claire[at]claireburgess.co.uk